Thoughts on Puerto Rico
Posted July 12, 2008 6:10 pm (about 131 days ago)
Moving along, anyone who argues that the indigenous people of Puerto Rico are dead just isn’t looking in the right place, like everywhere! Beyond food, language, art, and religious practices, many people just physically look indigenous. Were they all Taino descendents? I don’t know, but just as in other parts of the Americas we indigenous people are not dead, no matter what
we’re called. Similarly, while the Spanish and American influence was of no surprise, I was struck by how African many parts of the island felt. I mean, it’s one thing to physically look “Black,” but it’s another to represent Africa. From language, to food, to music, experiencing Puerto Rican culture in Puerto Rico was nothing like going to a concert in the Midwest, eating at a restaurant in New York, or reading a book. At times I felt as if I was in a direct extension of Africa. As one example, the mashed plantain dish Puerto Ricans call mofongo I learned is called fufu de platano in Cuba, which I knew as fufu from Nigeria. Yeah, I know Cuba is a different country, but all of these islands are w/n spitting distance of one another and that was just one of the more obvious examples of direct links between the islands and Africa.For the most part, beyond recent immigrants and parts of the South, I’ve never felt such a strong connection to Africa itself and I’m someone some one who does quite a bit of research on the historical presence of Africans in the Americas. I’m definitely motivated to continue delving into my own African roots, albeit via Mexico.
In terms of beauty, Puerto Rico was amazing; the rain forest of Yunque, the beaches, the mountains, the wildlife…I could go on and on.
I also benefited from male privilege as I wandered off to Vieques on my own, with just a phone number and a map. To make a long story short, I ended up in the back of some guy’s truck, riding through the woods, and seeing one some of the most amazing sites in my life. I could have paid more money and gone through a large company and stayed at a hotel, but that adventurous part of me didn’t want to play it safe and interacting with locals is what makes these trips memorable.
Ray and Frankie both highly recommended that I visit the bioluminescent bay in Vieques. They said it was hard to describe, but essentially, you go out to the bay and when you touch the water, it looks like you’re playing with neon lights. If you jump in the water, it’s like your whole body is glowing. It’s a rare, naturally occurring phenomenon that only happens in a few places in the world so I decided to go out there that night. Despite my limited knowledge, I figured I’d either end up with a short, miserable experience, or another amazing one. It was only for one night, so my misery would be limited, if it came to that.
So after catching the $2 ferry and making the hour and ½ long boat ride, I connected with a friend of their friend, named Nestor, who
ended up hooking me up with a nice guest house about 200 yards from the beach and I ended up hanging out with his cousin Samir, which is how I ended up riding in the back of the truck. Although they were both friendly it wasn’t until the next day when I felt safe. Neither would take my money at the time (although I was paying them as a customer, they kept telling me to wait until later) and they were super casual, I was given the keys to the house, although nobody lived there and they didn’t even know my name, I was given no paperwork, and Samir even invited me over to his place to eat. I wondered if I was being set up to be robbed. While I was inside the house, I even blocked the doors in case someone tried to jack me. My gut said that things were cool, but I decided to take some precautions. In hindsight, the casualness came from the fact that I was introduced to them through a personal acquaintance. As I watched them interact with other customers of their tour business, they were pretty professional. Either way, I had my guard up all night as I slept and rode in the back of the pickup, through the woods, with not lights except for the truck itself
and the stars, I rode in slight disbelief, wondering what I had gotten myself into and knowing that if I was a female there was no way I would’ve been sitting in this dude’s truck in the middle of the woods. I hadn’t even known them for 10 minutes and I was off to the middle of nowhere it seemed. But Samir picked up two middle-aged women tourists, which eased my mind. Once we got to the bay, I was simply amazed.As we piled into our kayaks I noticed that any contact with the water sent neon streaks out. Lifting the water with my hand looked like cascades of glitter running down my arm. As we paddled out to the middle of the bay, every stroke lit up the water as if we were lighting an underwater torch that was quickly extinguished. Once we stopped, I immediately jumped into the water without thinking. I have a fear of sharks so I probably wouldn’t have done it otherwise. With a moonless night and very little light pollution, the only light that came was what we created from moving the water. I battled my fear and constantly stirred the water, which created an effect resembling a lamp underneath me. As I got back in the kayak, I noticed green streaks crossing the surface of the water, or going by under the water. Not only were they fish, but I’m sure a shark or two. All paranoia aside, you're more likely to get knocked out by a falling coconut than attacked by a shark. I came across no tales of anyone ever being attacked in this bay.
As we paddled back, I took a moment to look at the clear sky and it seemed as if every star was visible. While there are many places with beautiful beaches, great weather and food, and great people, I truly felt as if I had a once in a lifetime experience. I recommend everyone to go, even if you can’t swim (there are other options besides kayaking). Like Frankie and Ray said, I don’t have the words for it and pictures and video can’t capture it (I looked all over the internet and most of the pics I saw were Photoshopped). Simply amazing.
The next day I linked back up with Samir and we kayaked out to
the mangrove trees (this clip is not the place I went to) in the same bay. I wasn’t overly excited, but once we got there, I was blown away. It was like something out of Lord of the Rings. Basically, we paddled through these narrow channels, between the mangroves, which in many parts created a canopy over us. It was a like going through a tunnel, but made of trees. In many parts, it was so narrow that we couldn’t use the paddles and you had to pull yourself by the branches. We then paddled out towards the bay’s narrow opening to the ocean and all I could think about was Robinson Crusoe and all of the other tropical island books I read as a kid. There are mangroves all over the world, but his was my
first time seeing something like this and it's definitely something to check out. Before leaving Vieques, Samir and I talked some more and I met everyone from his girlfriend to some nieces and nephews. It would’ve been great to stay even one more day, but I had to get back. If you go to Vieques, make sure to look these guys up. Samir was real fun and definitely knew his stuff.From broadening my mind to the natural beauty, this ended up being a great trip. And to think, just three weeks ago I hadn’t even thought upon going to Puerto Rico, much less bought my ticket. A random conversation with coworkers turned into one of the most memorable trips in my life! BTW, I found out that P.R. has some of the best coffee in the world. Yum.
hi dan, since i can't seem to get an email back from you, i thought i'd catch up w/ what's up w/ you via your site. i feel totally dissed! anyway, i'm proud of you, the one who is known as Mr. Z. you've worked hard and dedicated your heart and soul to your students. your blog on PR made me contemplate writing about my Spanish immersion experience in CR. i lived in a small beach town of about 2000. i lived with a tico family and took classes in Spanish everyday. i miss thinking and speaking in Spanish. hope to hear from you : O
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Check your e-mail. I didn't even know you were back in the country, or that I owed you an e-mail ; )